Of Two Minds
by NFKGS
Summary: After a mission gone horribly wrong, Kim strives to understand Shego's final sacrifice to save her. Now, even with Ron's support she’s tormented by visions and nightmares, and struggles to get by. But that may only be the beginning of her problems...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Disney owns Kim Possible and directly associated characters. Any other name, product, song, etc. are registered, trademarked, and/or copyrighted by their respective owners. Should they - or their legally permitted affiliates - request it, I shall remove this fan fiction from the Web. Thank you.**

**Of Two Minds, Chapter 1**

* * *

Kim was almost bouncing off the walls with excitement. Today would be exactly three and a half months that Ron had officially been her boyfriend. Three spanking months had passed and there was no way in hell the passion was going to burn out any time soon. The first two months had passed awkwardly, the shy glances, the fumbling touches and the more than accidental brushes up against each other. The kisses had felt more like chaste pecks between friends, and it felt like not much had changed.

Then just last month, it was as though a switch has been thrown inside Ron which transformed him into a still awkward, but almost debonair version of Ron Stoppable, which she jokingly referred to as "Ron Step-Uppable". Of course the trigger had been Kim and her own desires, but she had let him know in no uncertain terms what she wanted, and how she wanted it. The touches became caresses, the kisses deepened, and the passion burned.

Kim was enjoying the benefits of a loving boyfriend, to say the least.

While she had shared most of the intimate details with her best gal-pal, Monique, who was certainly quivering with anticipation for the latest updates, Kim was really looking forward to going back to school during their senior year and walking through those front doors proudly, holding onto Ron's arm. Ron might not be golden in Bonnie's books, but one look at her gorgeous yet goofy _partner_ said it all: Ron had redefined the word 'golden'.

She walked over to her bedside table and picked up a clear plastic photo frame, sitting innocently on her nightstand. It showed a picture of Ron standing behind her, holding her in his arms and nuzzling his cheek against her fiery red hair, looking lovingly at her, while she was looking straight at the camera, smiling happily, holding his hands and leaning back against her long time pillar of support. It had been taken just over a month and a half prior and she looked so happy, so carefree as though all's right in the world.

_All's right in the world... _

_No..._ The thought suddenly sprang to her mind, unbidden, unwanted. "Things will never be right in the world..." she whispered, her mind trying to draw her attention away from the picture and the happiness it immortalized. "I'm sorry... I didn't want it to turn out like this…" Kim whispered as her finger slowly traced the smile she bore. Blinking hard, she tried to focus on Ron's loving face, trying to banish away the convoluted mess of fear, anger and guilt gripping her heart.

She clutched at the precious picture in her hand, before a familiar but still strange tingling sensation ran down her arms to her hands. To her horror, both her hands erupted into a bright green flame. While her hands felt strangely cold and untouched by the roiling plasma, the plastic frame she had been holding had already melted into an unrecognizable, charred lump of goo. The green flames continued to lick hungrily at the picture, causing it to bubble and pop as her smile in the picture became distended and distorted into a grotesque caricature before burning into ash. With a scream, she dropped the remains back onto the table, as she stumbled backwards. And just as quickly as the green flames had burst forth, they had receded again leaving behind a scared and hysterical girl.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'msorryimsorry..." she cried, the apologies spewing forth from her in one long word with each breath she took.

She brought her hands to her face and scrubbed angrily at her tear streaked face. "I didn't mean to! It was all an accident, I swear! Why can't you forgive me?" she screamed at her hands frantically, as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. The acrid stench of burnt plastic nose, the fumes stinging her eyes as she coughed violently, fumbling at the door handle and finally dashing out in panic.

She stumbled around blindly, with no clear direction before finding herself in the living room where she found the downstairs phone. Fumbling with it for several agonizing second, she finally managed to make her hands work and dialed that one number she knew without thought with shaking fingers. The dial tone ended with a click and she heard the lonely ring on the other end. "Please... Please... Pick up..." she begged to the ether, her heart thudding in her ears before leaping out of her chest in relief when she heard the other end pick up.

"Hello?" a cheery voice greeted her.

"Ron..." she mournfully called out to him in a cracking voice. "Is tha-... Oh, God, Ron... You're there, right?"

"I'm right here, promise, KP... Wassup?" Ron greeted, concern edging into his voice slightly.

"Ron..." Kim finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh, God, I just wanted to hear your voice..."

"You okay, Kim?" Ron asked, his voice changed from mild concern to outright worry in a heartbeat.

"I'm..." Kim gulped as she struggled to quell the unease within her. "It happened again..."

"KP? Are you okay?" the unanswered question weighed in heavily on his mind. Ron quickly continued, "Hang in there, KP. I'll be over in five..."

"Hold up, Ron..." Kim smiled wryly at the concern her boyfriend was showing. "It's okay... I'll be fine... I just needed to hear your voice..."

"KP... Are you sure?" he waited as Kim took several deep breaths, then grunted affirmatively into her end of the phone. "Kim... Just remember what Doc Bonner said," Ron spoke seriously. "Whatever happened… It's not your fault, trust me... I believe that, your mom and dad believes that, the world believes that… Even Drakken believes that, and you know how he felt about Sheg-..."

"But it's my fault that Shego died" Kim cried out in frustrated self-deprecation. "If she hadn't shoved me out of the way... Hadn't saved me..."

"Hey now," Ron grumped firmly, "Shego knew what she was doing when she saved you..." Ron explained, his tone still firm, but understanding, "She understood what could happen... She gave her life for you, so that you could live, and if she wanted to do such a thing, she wouldn't want you blaming her for her death…"

"But… I feel like she's accusing me…" Kim cried, closing her eyes tightly and hanging her head in guilt, "I mean I don't understand… Why did she give me her powers? Why did she _have_ to give me her powers before she died? It's like… She blames me and she's haunting me… She wants to remind me that I'm the reason she's dead!"

"Kim… Calm down!" Ron spoke sternly into the phone. "Shego may be evil, but she's not that kind of person! She wouldn't hold a grudge against you, she's a proud person, remember? She'd roll over in her grave and laugh at you if she knew you thought you were the reason she died… If she saw you beating yourself up like this, she'd have a good laugh."

"I know..." Ron's last comment drew small laugh from her lips despite her inner turmoil. "I just wish I could believe that..."

"Hey, KP," Ron said. "Maybe I should head over to your place now..."

"Nah, it's okay..." Kim reassured him as she drew a deep breath.

"Are you sure?"

Kim steeled herself as she tried to clear her head, "It's nothing much, really... I think it's passed... Besides, you need to help your parents clean out the garage. Besides, you're taking me out to the Upperton-Middleton Biennial Carnival later, right?"

"Right," Ron broke out into a wide smile. "Gotta look forward to it, Kim... Brings back all the good memories, the Devastator, the Devil's Gorge, the Thundering Cyclone, the..."

"I had something else in mind," Kim suggested with a growing smile on her face. "After all, we're now going as boyfriend and girlfriend..."

"Like what?"

"Oh you know... The Ferris wheel, the Funhouse, the Tunnel of Love..." Kim grinned as she could imagine the look on her boyfriend's face.

"T... T... Tunnel of love?" Ron stammered**.**

"Uh huh, BFBF..." Kim smiled. "It's dark, quiet and nobody can see us..." Kim nearly broke out in giggles as she heard her boyfriend drew in a sharp breath. "And that's why you should finish your chores and get over here as quickly as possible... Maybe we'll have time to go on the Tunnel of Love a few more times... I do need my daily dose of Ronshine..."

Ron coughed and spluttered as he gasped for a response. "R... Right, KP..." Ron gulped. "Chores now... Ronshine later..."

"See you later, Ron," Kim teased as she made a little puckering sound.

"R... Right..." Ron replied. "Later... KP... Right... Chores..."

Kim smiled to herself as she let out a small sigh. She gingerly placed the phone back down, and went back up to her room. Her nerves still felt a little raw, but at least this time she felt she could at least make it through the day. She had some Ronshine to look forward to.

She glanced nervously at the clock, which had only just ticked past 2:15pm. Kim rubbed her eyes as she yawned loudly. Although she had finally overcome her sometimes days long bouts of insomnia, she was still getting tired more easily than before, falling asleep before her regular hours. She wrote it off as the ever-lengthening days and the extra dose of sunlight keeping her awake, her month-long fall into a deep depression, and her almost physical need to stimulate her mind in some way or another. But at two in the afternoon? Maybe she just needed an afternoon nap...

She slowly walked back to her room, and her eyes fell upon the charred remains of her photo frame. Sighing sadly, she gingerly scooped it up and threw it into the wastepaper basket by her desk, before throwing open the windows to get rid of the stench of burnt plastic. Content that everything looked like it had more or less returned to normal, she walked towards her bed.

Kim slumped down on her bed and grabbed her sleeping companion, a Pandaroo Cuddlebuddy she had named "Pandy" as a child. Inhaling loudly, she snuggled against it, immediately thinking of Ron, which chased away her depression as his presence or thinking of him had in the last few months. She smiled as she look at her little plush buddy, and spoke to it, "Sorry I haven't been paying you much attention. It's just Ron is very fun to snuggle up with too... But I do miss you..." Kim giggled, as she felt the heat of the afternoon sun stream through her windows onto her bed. Basking in the warmth, she stretched out lazily, kicking some of her sheets off the bed, and murmured to herself, "Maybe just a little nap..."

* * *

The ringing of the phone jarred her slumbering mind. Groaning tiredly, she pushed herself to an upright position before rubbing her eyes. She felt something was wrong, the windows were wide open, the cool night air was streaming into her room in gentle puffs, and the streetlights were...

"Oh no!" Kim jumped out of bed. "What time is it? What time is it?" she wailed in panic, as she grabbed the alarm clock on her bedside table. "Oh, _dammit_! It's almost eleven o'clock? Ron, oh, goddammit... Ron... I'm so sorry, I'm sorry..." she muttered to herself over and over again.

She jumped out of her bed and raced downstairs to the ringing phone, blasting into the living room and picking it up on the tenth ring. "Hello?" Kim answered, as she furtively shot a glance around the house, while rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, KP, it's me..." Ron's voice sounded through the receiver.

"Oh, Ron," Kim gasped in panic. "Ron, I'm so sorry... I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know what happened to me today, I was all tired and everything, and I closed my eyes for a bit..."

"Hey, hey, KP, calm down..." Ron's chuckle lifted her spirits a bit. "It's okay. Like you always say it's no big."

"But it is big!" Kim half-shouted, as she tugged at her hair by the roots. "We've been together for three months, and I know you've been really looking forward to this, and I just messed it up... Ron, I'm sorry... I really love you and I don't want you to take this the wrong way or think that I'm blowing you off, but at least let me make it up to you..."

"Nah, KP," Ron replied brightly. "Like I said, it's no big. Besides, accidents do happen, right? If anything, all it takes is a little bleach and the stain will come right out..."

"Right, Ron," Kim breathed a sigh of relief, before the alarm bells went off in her head again. "Wait, what stain?"

"You know, the chili dog stain on my shirt," Ron replied slowly. "Gee, KP, you must be so tired you completely forgot."

"What are you talking about?" Kim asked.

"You know... You, me, carnival, today, chili dogs?" Ron hinted. "Any of that ring a bell?"

"Ahh... Ron..." Kim gulped. "But I didn't go to the carnival with you! That's what I was trying to tell you, I overslept."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Haha, very funny, KP," Ron laughed. "Nice one... If you overslept, then who was this badical smokin' hot girlfriend I was having fun with the whole time?"

"Ron..." Kim's voice turned deadly serious, as her eyes flashed green with pure, unadulterated jealousy for a moment. "It certainly wasn't me."

"But KP," Ron pointed out. "It certainly was you. I don't know what you are talking about. We had a great and memorable date. We even took a couple of pictures together during some of the rides."

"I don't remember any of that!" Kim wailed in panic. "What the _Hell_ are you talking about?"

"Are you sure you don't remember any of that? Riding the Devastator, chilling out at the Bueno Nacho stand, making out in the Ferris wheel? Twice, I might add. Y'know KP, if I didn't know any better, you were really into this evening..." Ron's voice now had a distinctive hint of mischief to it, before he dropped to a more serious tone. "But KP, seriously... I'm still not sure if we should move that fast... I mean, at your house or mine, with the parents out, yeah, but... Shouldn't we wait a little longer before you handle the goods _that_ publicly?"

"Ronald Francis Stoppable!" Kim screeched through the earpiece loudly enough that it would have made Ron proud that she hit the high notes in a different scenario, "What are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke? I was nowhere near the carnival! Are you angry at me just because I overslept and forgot about it? You didn't have to go so far to make up the story of me handling your 'goods' on the Ferris wheel, mister!"

"I... I..." Ron stammered. "But KP... I was with you the whole time. It was exactly like we'd planned. I'd picked you up at your place at five, and we went to the carnival until nine. We even saw the closing fireworks..."

"Oh god, no, no..." Kim moaned as she struggled to wrap her mind around things. "That wasn't me! I was sleeping in my room..." She rubbed her temples with her left hand before sweeping her locks out of her face, but stopped suddenly when she noticed something written on her left palm. In a clear black permanent marker, someone had scrawled:

_Hello, Princess. I'm back!_

The blood in her face drained away immediately. "Ron," Kim spoke slowly in wide-eyed fear, as she couldn't take her eyes off the message on her hand. "Ron... You better come over quick..."

"Why? What's wrong?" Ron immediately grew serious.

"Come over, now!" the fear in Kim's voice was evident, as she hissed urgently. "I need you... My parents are on a couples' retreat, and the twins are at camp, so no one's here and I'm alone and scared..."

"Over in five," Ron replied, before the line went dead.

Kim carefully set down the phone before casting a searching look across the room. She walked over to the fireplace and gingerly picked up the poker, all at the same time keeping a watchful eye. Holding the weapon up in her hands, she gingerly backed herself into a corner and for the first time in her life, she began praying.

Ron's house was only five minutes away, but that was the longest five minutes in her life. Kim slowly counted down the seconds, as she gently eased her fingers on the comforting steel handle of a log poker."C'mon, Ron, c'mon... Hurry up, please, please hurry, Ron..." she continued in that vein, holding onto the small comfort Ron's name gave her like a mantra as her eyes darted around the living room. She flinched at every motion, and she kept a watchful eye on the shadows, praying that she was just dreaming.

The loud bangs on the front door gave her a mild myocardial infarction. Gripping her chest in a feeble attempt to slow her pounding heart, she leaped over the coffee table and scrambled to the front door. Throwing it open and seeing her boyfriend standing at her doorstep, she threw her arms around his chest and squeezed him tight, before choking out, "Ron!"

"Hey, KP," Ron comforted her, as he rubbed her back in a slow circular motion. "What's wrong?"

"Ron..." Kim whispered into his ear without letting go of his comforting warmth. "I think Shego's back..."

Ron stiffened up for a moment, before leading his panic-stricken girlfriend into the living room. Settling down on the couch, Kim glanced around the house for a moment, before finally breathing a sigh of relief. Ron sat and immediately put his arm around Kim's shoulder, comforting the panic stricken red-head as best he could.

"Ron... Is something wrong with me?" Kim whispered nervously. "I don't know... Recently, I've been having dreams of Shego... And not just when I'm asleep... It's like she's there... Spying over my shoulder..."

"Kim..." Ron sighed. "We've been over this... Shego's dead... You saw her die yourself. She shoved you out from under that falling chunk of rock and took the brunt..." he pulled her close as her shoulders quivered with withheld tears, whispering into her ear as he continued. "You _tried_ to resuscitate her but there was nothing _anyone_ could've done... She's gone..."

"She didn't have to... She shouldn't have!" Kim raised her voice frantically. "I killed her! If I... If I had paid attention, she... She..." a small sob escaped her lips. "I killed her... I wasn't paying attention, Ron! She stepped in and saved me, but she died, and I..." Kim collapsed into Ron's lap, body wracking sobs issuing from her huddled body as she continued.

"Don't cry," Ron gently stroked his girlfriend's hair as she cried into his lap. "It's not your fault. It was an accident. Everyone, even Drakken agrees that it was not your fault..."

"Her own family blames me, Ron! Hego said himself tha-..." she started angrily, but a finger against her lips silenced her angry grating in mid word.

"Kim," Ron said softly, "Hego's an idiot, okay? It's just his way with dealing with his grief… It's just... Okay, Shego was tough... But it was a freak accident..." He paused and waited for Kim to nod in understanding, "Besides, if you can blame yourself, you could just as easily blame Drakken who allowed it to happen by building a lair on a fault line!"

"I know she's gone... But I still feel like she's around... Like she's blaming me for her death... I can't explain it... But I'm sure she's around," Kim looked up at Ron sadly. "It's... Here," she held out her palm and showed him her palm, "Look..."

Ron's brow furrowed with worry. "Kim... Is this some sort of prank?" he asked. "Did you... No, did someone play a trick on you?"

"No!" she snapped near hysterically, "Besides, Shego's the only one who called me Princess! And that's not my handwriting, Ron!" she paused and scrubbed at her tear-soaked eyes, "And what does she mean that she's back?" Kim exclaimed frantically. "What if this was some sort of plot to get me? What if Shego's still alive? And that girl that you went to carnival with, what if it was Shego? Or Shego disguised to look like me?"

"Kim, Kim, you might be over-thinking things," Ron tried to explain slowly. "You went to the carnival with me, I promise. I remember your cherry-flavored lipstick a lot, your favorite one. You're probably just tired after a whole evening of fun. C'mon, KP, let's go to your room. I'll call my parents and let them know I'll be staying with you tonight. I'm here for you, KP... It's going to be okay..."

"Thanks, Ron... I guess... Maybe you're right," Kim smiled weakly. "I'm so glad you're here."

"For you, anytime," Ron leaned down to give her a quick peck on the cheek, which Kim turned into, making it a full kiss. They briefly deepened the kiss before breaking away, both blushing at the intimacy they had shared with the kiss. Kim sighed, leaning heavily into his frame as they walked towards the stairs.

The both of them went upstairs to Kim's room, and Ron carefully tucked Kim into her bed, before giving her a loving kiss on the forehead. Making sure that she had Pandaroo safely in her arms, and that she was snug in bed, Ron whispered that he would call his mom to let her know that he'd be spending the night. She'd understand, Kim's parents had long ago said Ron can stay over just in case Kim had a nervous episode. Tiptoeing out of her room, Ron gingerly whispered goodnight, and went to give his mom a call.

Even though she knew that Ron was just downstairs, the dark of the night seem to grip her a little tighter, and her only source of comfort was the soft toy in her arms. She shut her eyes tight, hoping to quickly fall into a peaceful slumber, but the only thing she saw was the evil pale-green visage of a villainess, maniacally cackling her triumph all the way from beyond the grave.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Well, here's my answer to the KPSlashHaven challenge "Body and Minds"... This is being pretty much fully co-authored by NoobFish and I, thus the posting under our dual account. As will be obvious in coming chapters, I've taken a couple of very small liberties with the original tangent (my apologies ahead of time to Zearth, as he seemed a bit hyper about keeping true to the original challenge! :P ), but it's over 95 true to the original challenge.

Anyway, something unique here, eh? Shego's dead, after saving Kim? Somehow, Kim can use Shego's glow as her own, or at least manifest it, and mentioned Shego passing it on to her. And yet Shego's still around, apparently, and taunting Kim... Or is she?

And what about Ron? This is _definitely_ not the Ron we saw in season four. Then again, he's had to step up a lot to try and keep Kim sane and safe with her flashbacks and flare ups from Shego's powers... And he's done it without a trip to Yamanouchi or becoming a Super Saiyajin... A refreshing change, I hope.

As always, thanks to NoobFish for co-author and beta duties. I'd suck ass without his help and smacking some sense into my sleep deprived mind. Hope you enjoyed chapter one and that you're looking forward to more!


	2. Chapter 2

The Upperton-Middleton Biennial Carnival was well into a busy fifth of seven evenings when Ron killed the engine to his motorc

The Upperton-Middleton Biennial Carnival was well into its busy fifth of seven days of openings, when Ron and Kim pulled up in a sleek dark gray BMW motorcycle with silver accents. Kim and Ron's parents had all initially protested against the hazards in riding a runaway crotch rocket like that, but after seeing that it was a touring bike, and then the first time Ron had persuaded her to ride with him, she found a new sort of thrill; an interesting mix of danger and safety, as she sped down the highway with the wind in her hair at breakneck speeds, but at the same time clinging close to the one person she loved and trusted completely.

Removing her helmet and shaking her long red hair loose, she gave Ron a wide grin as she giggled. "I still can't believe you talked me and your parents into buying this beast," Kim gushed as she got off the bike.

"Well," Ron remarked bashfully as he ran his fingers through his messed-up helmet hair. "I pointed out to them that I was being responsible with my Naco royalties by discussing my major purchases with them first. And my dad and I secretly agreed to let him have a spin or two during the weekends." Ron winked at his girlfriend as he took her helmet from her hands and stashed them away in the hard case side containers. "So ready to have some fun?"

"Ron?" Kim asked quietly, her tone somewhat nervous as she gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, KP?"

"I'm sorry I forgot about everything yesterday," Kim hung her head low. "It's not that I don't appreciate you or our dates, but it's just the whole Shego thing just happened and I..."

"Hold up, KP," Ron held up his hand, before immediately leaning in and cut her short with a toe-curling kiss. Finally breaking for air, the young couple gave a little contented sigh. Looking deep into Kim's eyes, Ron spoke, "You looked so beautiful that I just wanted to do that."

"Ron!" Kim gushed with a blushing smile on her face. "Have I told you what a great boyfriend you are?"

"That I am," Ron grinned. "Anyway, there's nothing for you to apologize for. I would love nothing more than to go out on more awesome dates like this with my bon-diggity girlfriend."

"I know, but Shego..." Kim was cut short by a finger pressed against her lip.

"Sorry KP, no more talk about other girls," Ron remarked jokingly. "You don't let me talk about other girls while I'm on a date with you. This date will just be about you and me and no one else."

A smile crept to Kim's face as she gazed adoringly at her blond boyfriend. "You're right," she replied. "Besides, you're still not allowed to mention any other girls' names on our dates."

"Sure thing, Bonnie," Ron joked, as Kim smacked him on the arm for teasing her.

"Right, Ron!" Kim intoned her boyfriend's name seriously. However she could not stay mad for long at that goofy face. The two teens broke out into giggles. "Hey Ron, would you like to get me come cotton candy?" she purred with a glimmer of her infamous puppy-dog pout starting to appear on her face.

Ron held his hands up, turning away slightly and screwing his eyes shut melodramatically, "No! No! Don't do it KP! I'll do anything! Anything for my bomb-digity, smokin' hot girlfriend! Just keep that thing away from me!"

The two teens giggled happily as they made their way lazily to the nearest concession stand. Kim glanced over at Ron and studied his face for a moment before wrapping her arms around his and leaning heavily on his shoulder. "I'm so lucky." She said simply before looking over the stand's decidedly unhealthy offerings. "Um, on second thought, I think I'll take a chili dog..."

"Sure thing, KP!" Ron said, briefly detaching himself from Kim to place their order with the carnie behind the sliding glass window. "Two chili dogs and an extra large root beer, please."

After collecting their orders, they meandered over to the covered tables not far from the stand to look for a place to enjoy their meals. Just as they were about to sit, a familiar voice rang out from the crowd, "Ron, Kim! Over here, you two!"

Kim and Ron both looked up to see Monique, their long time mutual friend and Kim's personal confidant waving them over. Monique was with Tara Bonner, one of Kim's fellow cheerleaders from school who had recently joined into their rag-tag group of friends, something Kim would never have expected even two months ago. "Hey you two," Kim greeted as they caught up to them, "What's up?"

"Enjoying both the carnival and the scenery, GF." Monique said as a particularly attractive carnie walked by, smiling at Monique and winking at her. "WTGTBT." Monique finally dismissed, even though she kept her eyes on the carnie's retreating backside.

"Yeah, but at least he's nice on the eyes!" Tara agreed with a sigh, her eyes tracking along with Monique's. Turning back to Kim, Tara noticed that confused look on her face and asked, "Everything alright?"

"Um, I think she's wondering what WTGTBT means?" Ron said, earning a shared giggle from their two friends.

"Way. Too. Good. To. Be. True." Monique and Tara intoned in unison, sharing a glance with each other and giggling again.

"I think that's enough man-candy for the both of you," Kim shook her head with a bemused look on her face.

"Yeah?" Monique bore an innocent expression on her face, but the glint in her eyes said it all, "Speaking of enough, though, didn't you two get _enough_ last night? This is a family-carnival, you know. There are children here."

"Actually," Kim blushed deeply as she avoided the stares of her friends. "I don't remember anything about the carnival from yesterday at all."

Monique's and Tara's mouth fell wide open as they gawked at the embarrassed red-head. Monique let out a low whistle as she thought out loud, "Damn! I gotta try some of that Ronshine for myself!"

"Monique!" Kim scolded her friend. "Get your mind out of the gutter! It's nothing of that sort! I just don't remember anything. One minute I was taking an afternoon nap, and the next thing I remember, it was already night."

"Well, that sucks," Monique sighed in defeat. "I was looking forward to the details of your date. Like why was Ron's fly unzipped _after_ you guys got off the Ferris wheel..."

"What?" Ron yelped, blushing deeply as new witness testimony came to light. "But I'm sure I..." He looked up at Monique trying to stifle giggle.

"Gotcha..." Monique smirked. "Oh well, I'm sure Wade has satellite photos..."

"Monique..." Kim warned. "Stop teasing Ron."

"Right, right, Kim..." Monique laughed raucously, as she leered at Kim. "I'll take your word for it, _nothing_ happened." She became serious for a moment as she turned to scrutinize her best friend closely. "Kim, are you sure you're okay? Don't overstress yourself, Ron and I can always handle more of the missions. Maybe you should go see your doctor about it..."

"Yeah, Kim," Tara looked worriedly at her. "Gaps in memories might be a bad sign. Do you need me ask my mom to schedule an earlier appointment with you? She gets back in on Monday. I could call her tonight and..."

"I'm fine, Tara," Kim tried to smile at her friends. "It's just a little flashback, nothing big. Nothing I would bother your mom about."

"Kim," Tara said softly, placing a comforting hand on the red-head's, her eyes full of concern. "I know you think you can handle it now that you've had some counseling, but... Really, I don't think you should take a chance, y'know?" Tara smiled softly at Kim, shaking her head slightly, "And you shouldn't just think of my mom as a psychologist; she _is_ your mom's friend, and from what you've said, your friend too. She'll definitely make time for you."

"It's okay, Tara," Kim shrugged apprehensively. "I just had a little anxiety attack and my hands flared up again. Nothing big. At least Ron was there for me the whole night," Kim smiled appreciatively at her boyfriend, as she reached under the table and held his hand.

"Whole night?" Monique whistled in amazement as she joked. "Damn, girl... There is no way you two did _not _have enough!"

"Monique!" Kim glared at her grinning friend. "You're one to talk... What about you and Brick? I heard that you were at Brick's college send off party. So did _anything_ happen?"

Kim, Ron, and Tara were treated to a rare sight: Monique McCoy blushing deeply enough to be seen even with her dark skin, "Um, we just hung out?" she said lamely, before the other three teens continued to stare incredulously at her. "Okay, we danced too!" she griped before crossing her arms over her chest and looking away.

Ron coughed something that sounding like either "In between the sheets", or "She likes green beets" much to Monique's chagrin.

"Oh, Monique," Kim said between laughter, "So tell me: are you going to do the whole long distance thing, or was it just a summer fling?"

"Kim! We both well know that I'm not that kind of girl!" Monique protested futilely at the faces of her laughing friends. "It is not the kind of dancing you are thinking about! But we danced, regularly, okay? A bit..." She drifted off with a dreamy smile on her face, "I mean, he's no Chester Alan in the looks department, but he's cute... And that boy can _move_... Just too bad he wasn't held back another year." Monique sighed loudly as she stared off into a distance.

"Oh, you'll find someone, Monique." Tara said confidently, winking conspiratorially at Kim, who barely held onto a giggle, knowing what the blonde had in store for their mutual friend.

"Anyway, speaking of missions..." Monique said in a leading voice, drawing more laughter from her friends, "Has anyone contacted Team Possible about that string of thefts that has been going on in Middleton?

"Nope. What have you heard?" Kim asked, cocking her head curiously to the side.

"Well," Monique began, "Wade said he's going over the information to be sure what he's seeing. And he said he had a suspicion, but..."

Kim glanced between Ron, who nodded gravely while giving Kim a strange look, and Monique who was looking decidedly nervous. "But?"

Monique squirmed and looked at Ron, who nodded before she continued, "He said that the thief is very good. He also said that while it's probably a copycat, the M.O. is very similar to Shego's..."

Kim's face fell immediately at the mention of the name. Noticing her discomfort, Tara decide to step in with her normal, bubbly smile gracing her features as she stood. "Anyway, today's for fun, I'm done with my nachos, and we have some rides to go on, so enough shop talk!"

"IHT, GF!" Monique nodded, after picking up the change in mood.

"Um," Ron said, cocking his head slightly at Monique, "I hear that, right?"

"Hey, your 'Potential Boy' is learning, Kim!" Monique teased, before standing to join Tara, "Catch you two later."

"Later!" Ron and Kim chimed in simultaneously.

They waved off their friends and watched them disappear into the milling crowd. After a moment of watching, Kim glanced down to see her hand still held comfortably enclosed in her boyfriend's. "What do you think, Ron?"

"I honestly don't know, Kim... It may just be a coincidence..." He looked away, shaking his head. "But they do have a point, y'know, we are supposed to be having fun, right?"

"Right!" Kim tried to sound enthusiastic, squeezing his hand before letting go and leaned into him a little before they both started digging into their food. They ate in companionable silence, enjoying each other's presence and watching the throng of people milling about the carnival.

"This is nice," Kim remarked as she finished her chili dog, nuzzling his shoulder slightly to emphasize her point. She brought her hand up to her mouth unconsciously, sucking the sauce off of her fingers with a noticeable pop, before stopping when she realized that Ron was looking at her awkwardly.

"Um, Kim?" he asked with a slight quaver in his voice, as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Could you please not do that? At least not in public?"

"What?" Kim asked, confused by her boyfriend's request.

"You licking your fingers like that?" Ron looked away in embarrassment. "This morning, well, um..." Ron's face was now ablaze, his blush matching the hair on Kim's head perfectly.

"Ron," Kim snapped impatiently, "What do you mean? What happened this morning?"

Ron swallowed under the suddenly fierce gaze of his girlfriend and wilted slightly, explaining in a nervous tone, "When you woke me up while going do-... Oh, God," he muttered, shaking his head in trepidation, "Not again... You don't remember this morning?" he asked nervously.

"I don't remember anything happening this morning, except that... I had a we-... Um, _weird_ dream about... Us..." her face quickly flashed to a deeper scarlet than Ron's, before she pulled the right side of his jacket open and hid her face in his chest. "That wasn't a dream, was it?"

"Um, no?" Ron answered lamely, raising an eyebrow when she peeked out from his jacket.

"Oh, God, what's wrong with me?" Kim cried out while shaking her head again. "I forget all yesterday, then I think I'm having a dream of... I'm a terrible girlfriend... How could I keep forgetting about us?"

"KP, you've been really tired lately," Ron said comfortingly, "You've just been under a lot of stress. It's nothing much..."

"But..." Kim hesitated.

"Don't worry, KP," Ron reassured her with a comforting squeeze. "They are just memories... You and I could always make more of those... That's why we're here today, right? To make more happy memories... So cheer up, KP. It's all good, I'll always be here for you..."

"Thank you, Ron," Kim smiled as she drew away slowly from him. "I guess I must seem a little crazy right now... Freaking out and all that..."

"Nah," Ron smiled reassuringly. "You just have some issues you need to work through, and I'll always be right here for you. Tell you what, KP, you pick the next ride."

With a thankful smile, Kim nodded her head. She scanned around the crowded pathway before her eyes rested upon one that looked particularly interesting. "How about that one, Ron?" Kim pointed at the ride. "Rapid Response Raiders. It's new this year."

"You sure, Kim? It's supposed to be a good jungle adventure ride, but it's probably just some fancy funhouse on a track." he commented with a skeptical look on his face. Although he could hear brief screams followed by quails of laughter, he wasn't all that impressed despite its surprising size for a mobile carnival. It was two stories tall and as wide as five semi-trailers, and about two and a half long. While there were a couple areas where riders could look out onto the carnival, most of it was supposed to be set up for thrills, as the admittedly impressive sound system would attest to. He'd heard good things about it, but wasn't sure if the ride was really worth the nearly twenty minutes the ride would take to finish.

"Oh, c'mon, it's dark, and I haven't had enough Ronshine today..." Kim cooed, running a finger down his cheek.

That immediately removed all rational objections from his mind as Ron beamed at his girlfriend. With a flourish, he enthused, "Anything for my KP!" His reaction drew a giggle from Kim as they walked up to the ride's ticket taker. Both of them were surprised when he waved them in without asking for a ticket.

"It's ok, Mr. Stoppable," the ticket taker greeted him exuberantly. "I can't thank you enough for helping us with the runaway Gravitron earlier this summer. This ride is on the house, as our way of saying thanks."

"It's no big," Ron nodded his head as he swelled up slightly with pride. "I've seen Kim fix an emergency brake before with a paper clip and chewing gum. Hey! Wait a minute...You remembered my name!" Ron enthused, offering a fist up to share a fist pound, which the carnie returned it with a smile.

Kim dragged Ron towards the single Hummer-styled cart at the head of a line of six and smiled at him. "Well, Ron, what else would you expect?" she asked cheerfully as they both sat down in the roll-cage and strapped themselves in. "You and Monique have been doing a badical job filling in for me. I say it's about time _you_ got some recognition!"

"Thanks, KP, if you say so," Ron replied with a smile, swelling up with so much pride that he was about to burst. Looking at his girlfriend, he added, "But it's just not the same without you..."

"I just can't..." Kim shook her head.

"No, no..." Ron replied quickly. "That's not what I meant... You don't have to do any more missions than you can handle anytime soon. Monique and I can handle them on my own... Just... I missed you and I missed doing missions with you..."

Kim leaned over and threw an arm around his neck, drawing him into a brief, but intense kiss. "Thank you," she spoke with glazed eyes, "That is so sweet of you..."

"Like I said, anything for you, KP." Ron murmured, leaning in and kissing her back as their cart jolted into motion.

The ride was full of flashing lights and near misses by props such as large model airplanes and the like, but they were too stuck in their kissing and hesitant roaming hands to care. They barely acknowledged the huge, hairy gorilla arm that was almost as big as the cart, reaching out and almost grabbing them or the dynonichus-like lizards that 'jumped' over the cart, hissing and screaming all the way.

"Y'know what, Ron?" Kim asked as she broke the kiss and settled for nibbling gently at the crook of his neck.

"What's that, KP?" Ron asked in a strained voice, trying his best to suppress a moan at the tickling sensations Kim's teeth were giving him.

"I lo-..." she began, only to halt when the cart tilted almost thirty degrees and began to shake. Just as suddenly as it had started the movement stopped, and Kim looked around, not realizing where they were, her eyes wild with panic as she grasped vice-like onto his chest.

"KP?" Ron asked. The shaking started again, stronger than before, and a loud cracking and grinding blasted out from the ride's sound system, mimicking the sound of breaking and falling rock very well. "Kim!" he repeated, reaching out to restrain her as the red-head looked up and saw several rocks bouncing down the ride's walls straight towards them.

"It's just a ride, KP!" he said, gripping her shoulders tight. Although the fake rocks were merely painted and shaped rubber, Kim belted out a nearly deafening scream as the first struck the roll cage on top of the cart. "Kim!" he called desperately as she went rigid; her eyes wide and her breathing shallow.

"Kim..." Kim was vaguely aware of the voice calling to her. Her mind was elsewhere, her vision filled with a day almost a month and a half prior...

* * *

_Kim easily dodged the next two bursts of plasma as she backflipped a couple of paces. Standing up, just in time to see Shego rushing in on her, she raised her forearms as she parried the wildly thrown punches. _

"_Is that all you got?" she taunted with a smug grin on her lips. _

"_I'm just warming up, Princess," Shego leered back as she spun quickly on her left foot to deliver a roundhouse kick which Kim easily ducked under. _

"_You're getting old," Kim remarked. _

"_And you're still flat," Shego riposted, as she lunged at Kim. _

_Easily stepping aside, Kim threw a quick glance over at Ron. Her blond boyfriend was currently grappling with Dr. Drakken as they both struggled on the floor, trying to reach a particularly complex and dangerous looking remote control. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small pink blur dancing across the computer terminal keyboard, as Rufus attempted to shut down Dr. Drakken's seismic amplifier. _

_Good, all she needed was to stall Shego for just a little longer..._

_Lashing out with her left foot, she caught Shego by surprise, and forced the older woman back on the defensive for a moment. She quickly pressed on her advantage to keep her off-balanced, when she felt a strong tremor beneath her feet. Slipping mid-step, she landed badly on her ankle and tumbled to the ground with a groan of pain. _

_Shaking her mind clear of the pain, Kim glanced up to see dust and pebbles falling from the web of two-inch cracks in the ceiling of the lair. When the tremors showed no sign of stopping, she looked around fearfully. "Ron!" she yelled in panic, shoving herself on her feet. She tested her left foot to see if it would bear her weight, and satisfied glanced over to where she' d last seen Ron and Dr. Drakken. "The lair's collapsing on us! We had better get out..."_

_To her horror, Ron showed no sign of being aware of the ensuing destruction, as he managed to pin Dr. Drakken to the ground and snatched the remote control triumphantly in his hand. Overhead, the spider web of cracks continued to march across the ceiling and almost straight at her love._

_As suddenly as they'd begun, the tremors stopped. "Ron!" Kim staggered forward, biting down hard on her lip as she ignored the pain in her foot. She felt like she was running in molasses and knew that if the ceiling gave way she'd never reach Ron in time. But she _had_ to pull him away before..._

_Something slammed into her from the side, and she found herself tumbling several feet away. Her mind instantly reeled in panic as she realized that she had just made a rookie mistake. She had just turned her back on the enemy, and the enemy had just done a number on her._

"_Sheg, you bitch!" Kim turned to roar at the villainess, her anger at the villainess at her perceived indifference drawing out a rare public curse from the red-head. "Time out! We've gotta get-..." She looked up to see the area Ron and Dr. Drakken were at had stabilized, and they were unhurt. But the horrified expressions they shared told her that something was wrong. _

_Where she'd been standing barely a second ago, Kim saw the horrifying sight Ron and Dr. Drakken beheld: Shego pinned to the floor by a grantie boulder the size of a semi-trailer. What could be seen of her lower body was a broken ruin, impaled by several rebar as blood slowly pooled around her body. She lay face down with her hair splayed wildly across the floor. "Shego?" Kim called, but the older woman didn't move a muscle._

_She staggered back over to Shego's form and slid to her knees next to the prone body._

"_Shego?" Kim shouted, as more chunks of rocks fell around her. But she was far from caring. She held a clammy, cold pale-green hand, as she swept back the hair around Shego's face. Brushing away a bit of dust from the pale cheek of her nemesis, Kim called out as loud as she could. "Shego!" _

_The older woman twitched a little at the sound of her name. She raised her head slowly, as far as she could with a large rock pressing down on legs. Kim almost retched as the action pulled the rebar further through Shego's abdomen, more blood pouring from the now gaping wound. Gazing up at Kim with strangely serene eyes, Shego opened her mouth to speak. No words came forth, only blood as she coughed violently. _

_Shego grinned up at Kim through bloodstained teeth, a genuine smile for once, instead of her normal sarcastic smirk. thief reached her hand up to the red-head's face, a strangely relieved sigh escaping her lips as she kept her eyes locked on Kim's. _

_Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shego's hands were glowing again with her characteristic roiling green flames. But the flames merely flickered, emanating only a faint warm sensation. The warm feeling spread from her cheek to her forehead before quickly spreading throughout her whole body. Shego coughed out what could have been a laugh, before she took one last, pained gasp of air._

_As the fire in Shego's hands dimmed, so did the light in her eyes. She slumped lifelessly onto the floor with the bloodstained grin was still etched on her lips. The woman's blank, soulless stare seemed to pierce her heart accusingly, even as the beating visible in her neck and from the faint pulsing of blood from the hole in her abdomen continued. The green flames from Shego's hand finally gave its last flicker and died, her hand fell, hitting the debris-covered floor, never to rise again._

_Her throat finally found its voice. "I'm sorry..." she whispered, clutching her hands to her chest, tears streaking through her dust covered face. "I'm sorry!" she cried out as Ron's arms encircled her shoulders, trying to pull away and back to the lifeless body of her fallen nemesis, even as the blond pulled her closer to him and away from Shego's body..._

* * *

"Kim?" Ron asked as he rocked her gently. She was muttering apologies under her breath for the last few minutes. Her eyes were still screwed tightly shut, squeezing her tears out and staining her face with her makeup. "Hey, you're scaring me here..."

"I'm sorry, I promise I'm sorry..." Kim chanted her apologetic mantra, as her voice took on a slightly huskier tone, and Ron was startled by an eerie familiarity that he could not quite place. Nonetheless, he was relieved she seemed to be coming to.

"Kim?" he called gently, running a gentle finger down her face as he did so.

"Where...?" she asked, looking around in confusion. When her gaze fell upon Ron, she sported a predatory expression on her face, causing him to pause for a moment. Noticing his arms wrapped around her comfortably, she looked up at her blond companion and growled playfully, "Hello there, handsome..."

"What?" Ron was rather taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. "Kim? Are you okay? You just had an episode..."

"Shh..." she replied coyly as she pressed a finger against his lips. "I know, and thank you for calming me down..."

"Hey, it's what boyfriends do, right?" Ron blurted cheerfully, earning a strange but pleased look from her.

"Hmmm, well, since you want to do the boyfriend thing," she whispered into his ear playfully, "How about you let me do the girlfriend thing..." She slowly moved her hand down towards his beltline, her eyes locked onto his.

"Kim!" a bright red glow started spreading across Ron's freckled face, the implication clear. "You just blanked out on me a moment back... Are you okay? Do you need a drink?"

"Oh don't mind if I do," she licked her lips seductively as she leaned down towards where her hand rested teasingly.

"Wait!" Ron's heart almost seized up as he realized what 'drink' she had in mind. "Kim, you jus-..."

"Oh c'mon," she pouted playfully, "You know you want to..."

"But the ride's going to end in ten minutes..." Ron weakly protested.

"Ride?" she looked around in surprise and surveyed the sights. "That explains it... Well, Ron, I was going to go here anyway, right?" she whispered as she reached down to run her fingers along the front of his pants, "I mean, that hickie says it all..."

"Huh?" Ron's face screwed up in confusion.

"Oh forget it," she growled impatiently as she tugged at his pants. "Ten minutes is more than enough time for me, you know that..." She took a deep breath and made a show of calming down. "Seriously, Ron, I want this, so if you don't mind?" she slid her hands towards his crotch and undid the buttons, before licking her lips. "Mmm... Miss me?" she cooed as she began her ministrations.

"Oh... God..." Ron moaned as his eyes lulled to be back of his head. "Kim, what's gotten into you...?" the giggle that emanated from her, and what it did to him, was more than enough to silence the young blond. He sat back slightly and let her do what she apparently wanted to do.

Kim leaned into Ron's back as they motored lazily down Middleton Boulevard. She smiled and blushed slightly as she thought that this date wasn't a total waste despite her flashback on the ride. She giggled a bit, her smile turning positively lascivious as she remembered Ron's groan as he...

"What was that, Kim?" Ron asked over the Bluetooth headsets built into the helmets.

"Nothing, I was giggling," she muttered back, the blush on her face audible. "That ride wasn't so bad, Ron. We should have gone on it again..."

"Oh," Ron muttered back, and Kim knew he was blushing by the cute little way he hunched his shoulders slightly up trying to hide it. "Kim, um... Where'd you lear-..."

"I don't know," she muttered in embarrassment. "I just knew, okay? My body moved on its own..." She tickled his belly, drawing a chuckle from him. "Hey, I'm not that kind of girl, okay?"

"Heh," Ron teased. "I dunno, Kim. I mean, you seemed pretty frisky after your flashback... It was like zero to horny in six seconds... And I'm still surprised you let me co-..."

"I was kind of out of it, Ron," Kim said in an annoyed tone. "Next time, warn me, please and thank you."

"Um, well, I was kind of out of it too," Ron replied playfully, "Besides, you didn't seem to mind at the time!"

Kim muttered something under her breath that came out garbled over the headsets. Ron, barely holding back a snicker, leaned his head back to look at her out of the corner of his eyes. "What was that, KP?"

"I said it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, okay?" Kim's comment earned her a snicker from Ron, as they pulled into her parent's driveway. She swatted her boyfriend's behind playfully as she replied, "Just be glad you returned the favor at the tunnel of love or you wouldn't be able to go with your parents to Denver tomorrow." They both slid their helmets off as Kim dismounted the bike.

"Why?" Ron questioned with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Because, Potential Boy," Kim purred into his ear as Ron slid an arm around her, "I'd drag you up to my room and tie you to my bed until I'm satisfied..."

Kim kissed him on the nose and slipped from out of his arm before he could react, almost skipping up to the front door of her house. She turned back as she reached the door and waved as Ron pouted before clumsily backing his sport touring motorcycle down the driveway and onto the street. "Bye Ron, and thank you for the make-up date... You didn't have to, but I'm _so_ glad you did. It was _badical_! I'm just sorry I forgot our first date, I just know it was as awesome as this one."

"It's alright, Kim... Besides, I don't mind doing it again and again and again..." Ron said as he slid his helmet on, his grin beaming out from the opened face.

"No, it's not alright! I let my issues get in the way of enjoying our time..." Kim protested.

"But you set yourself back on the right track," he paused, then snickered slightly, "I guess more than the right track, so don't worry! Besides, Bueno Nacho tomorrow, your treat, right?"

"Right!" Kim laughed despite herself, he heart fluttering slightly at the blond goofball in front of her home. "Anything for you!" She finally realized that, until that moment, she had never, _truly_ been sure one way or the other how she felt about Ron. But now she was certain. With a knowing smile, she asked, "Of course, do you know why, right?"

"Um..." Ron said uncertainly, taken aback at the sudden glint in Kim's eye. "Why's that, Kim?" he squeaked, glancing around before settling his gaze back to her as she sauntered out to the street to stand directly in front of him.

"Because, silly boy! Like I was about to say when the ride threw me for a loop: I. Love. You." She leaned in quickly and captured him full on the lips briefly but just as full of passion. As they drew back from the kiss, Ron let out a startled breath, and would have toppled over if not for the steadying hand Kim on his shoulder.

"I, um... I love you too, K-... Kim. Um, yeah, I definitely love you!" he stuttered as Kim stepped away from the bike, "Booyah!" he cheered as he started his bike. "See you tomorrow, um... Maybe get a little PDA time in before we have to deal with Barkin's rules next Wednesday?"

"Yup, wouldn't miss it for the world!" Kim said brightly as Ron clutched and kicked the bike into gear. "Be careful!" She cautioned him, as he gingerly pulled away from her driveway. Kim giggled as he wobbled a little unsteadily; the kiss must still be affecting him.

Finally after watching him disappear at the intersection, Kim walked back into her home and let herself into the house, glad that her parents and the Tweebs were gone for the next two days. That left the house all to her, and she couldn't be happier. She wondered idly if she could invite Ron over for to take things further... She quickly cleared her head of that thought. She wanted to avoid moving too fast between them. But from what has happened between them in the last few days, she doubted it would be such a bad thing. Maybe she would ask Ron first whether they're ready for the next step, or when he thought they would be...

She nodded to herself giddily and kicked her shoes off, making her way up the stairs. On the way there, she sighed and started to disrobe, enjoying the slight exhibitionist thrill in the act. She doffed the shirt and went for the slacks, sliding them off and grazing her fingers down her toned legs with an indulgent sigh, before picking them up and throwing them over her shoulder.

As she began to take off her socks, however, a wave of dizziness struck her. Her hand shot out as it sought the handrail and her body tried to steady itself. Finally catching her balance, she took a moment to compose herself after the unusually strong dizzy spell, feeling more annoyed than concerned.

"What the _Hell_? Okay, I better get hold of Mom, this is getting goddamn annoying!" she wondered aloud, her frustration apparent as she hurried up the rest of the stairs. Grabbing the remote to the den's entertainment system, she turned the news on for background noise and walked into her room.

She grabbed a towel and her nightclothes when another wave of nausea overtook her, this time accompanied by a powerful headache. After steadying herself, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, taking stock of her body and its functions. _No pain anywhere except the head,_ she thought as she went through the breathing exercises her grandmother had taught her, _No nausea except when the dizziness hits..._ She growled in frustration and stormed from her room, an uncharacteristic litany of quiet curses following in her wake all the way to the bathroom.

After depositing her clothes next to the sink, she reached into the shower and put the water to her preferred temperature before turning back towards her mirror. She flipped her hair in an unfamiliar manner before stopping in utter shock. For the briefest second she thought she saw Shego's face there, the emerald eyes gleaming in humor as the woman's raven black hair fell into her face. She closed her eyes and shook her head, lowering it and taking a few breaths before opening her eyes again.

There was Shego's face again. She wanted to run, but after staring for a moment, she realized that it wasn't Shego's face... It was her own. But wearing Shego's trademark smirk. She had Shego's trademark glint in _her_ eyes. Even the hair, the deep fire red she was used to be seeing had changed, unconsciously flipped into... A close approximation of Shego's trademark hairstyle.

"What. The. _Fuck_?" Kim growled. For the briefest moment, while she spoke, the image in the mirror seemed to relax back into her old familiar face. Then, just as suddenly, it was once again an almost perfect mimic of Shego's.

"That, Princes, is exactly what I'd like to know!"

Kim gasped as the image in the mirror spoke. But to her horror, the sound seemed to come from her own mouth, taking on a burry quality that is characteristically Shego's. Before she could speak, the image in the mirror continued on casually, as though engaged in an everyday conversation.

"And y'know, as annoying as he is at times, your idiot is pretty nice... You'd better keep him before someone else snaps him up! Oh, and yeah, definitely talk to him first before popping his cherry. You'll probably hear him make some comments about you being sure, but be patien-..."

"Oh, for Christ's sake..." Kim, her normal face and all, muttered, interrupting the other voice and face in mid comment. Kim felt herself grow faint, and she wobbled on her feet briefly as her world tried to shatter and reform itself in light of this latest development in her life. She reached out to grasp the edge of the sink cabinet, steadying herself with a few quick, deep breaths, "This is _so_ not happening!"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

And another chapter down and posted! Kinda slow, I know, but it's important. (NoobFish: Yes, I agree! Very slow!) Very important, and I'm sure you can guess as to why. Kim's suffering trauma from watching Shego die, a potentially debilitating trauma if she's put into too stressful of a situation. Probably the only reason why she's even capable of coping is her friends, her family, and Ron. Granted, some people may disagree with the lattermost, but I and Noob believe that Ron, based on his pre-season four characterizations, is capable of stepping up with the right impetus.

As for Kim's flashback, I think it's important to show her reliving those nightmarish moments. They changed her, fundamentally, and as much as I'm sure she'd like it to be otherwise, it'll affect her for the rest of her life to one extent or the other.

NoobFish: And yay! Finally Shego shows up! Just when Kim's done with her adventurous date and all was right in her life... Yeah, you knew that Kim wouldn't be able to enjoy her life without some trials, right? Now that Shego has finally made contact... Yeah, the next chapter should be really _interesting..._


	3. Chapter 3

"No, no, no!" Kim wailed as she clutched at the red locks of hair falling beside her face. "This is _so_ not happening!"

"Oh boy," Shego yawned lazily. "This would definitely be so entertaining except that it wouldn't do either of us any good if you end up in a mental institution."

"But you're dead! I saw you die!" Kim howled out in frustration, as she stared straight at her image in the bathroom mirror. "Look, you must be some sort of delusion of mine. That has to be the only explanation... I am probably going through the stages of grief, anger, denial, depression, bargaining, acceptance... This has got to be one of them..."

"Sure," Shego drawled sarcastically. "It goes under the 'I'm channeling my own worst enemy through myself in the bathroom mirror' stage."

"Shut up! Shego, just shut up!" Kim screamed. "I'm trying to think here!"

"Kim, you know what? Just calm down for a..."

"Just shut up!" Kim screamed, barely holding back from punching the mirror in her panicked rage, "Shut up about it all! I don't need this shit now!"

"Lalala, you can't shut mmfph!" Shego's voice was immediately drowned out by two hands clapping over her mouth... Or Kim's mouth.

Kim elbowed the bathroom door open, and ran out in a panic with her hands still firmly clamped over her mouth. If she couldn't speak, then Shego couldn't speak. But then again there was no Shego, right? She glanced furtively around the room before chancing upon her Kimmunicator. Seizing it with one hand, she hurriedly pressed the call button for Ron's unit.

"Hey, everything okay there, Kim?" Ron's concerned face appeared almost immediately on the tiny little LCD screen of the blue device.

"Numpfh!" Kim frantically mumbled through the hand clamped tightly over her mouth, shaking her head emphatically.

"Hey, you okay there Kim?" Ron began to sound worried. "Why are you covering your mouth with your own hand?"

"Gemph om'er hurmph!" Kim replied frantically.

"Hang on, is this a game?" Ron scratched his head.

"Kmmphy!" Kim said suddenly, her tone sounding entirely more irritated than panicked.

Ron was about to speak when Kim again shook her head vigorously. "Hummy umph!"

"Wait, I don't get you, can you take your hand off your mouth?" Ron asked.

Kim shook her head almost violently this time, her eyes imploring as she looked at him through the screen. "Pmeeph!"

"Hang on, Kim, I'm going over to your place right now!" Ron replied. "Wait right there!"

Kim breathed a sigh of relief as Ron's image disappeared. She immediately jumped on her bed and stared out the window, waiting desperately for her blond boyfriend to come racing down the street to her house. Her hands were still tightly clamped over her mouth, and she dare not remove them for fear of speaking like Shego again. She felt tears running down her face from her own fear, but was uncertain if the shaking in her shoulders was her own panicked crying or some mirth that... Shego, apparently, was feeling towards the situation.

Her heart leapt for joy as she spotted a familiar BMW motorcycle tearing down the street, frantically screeching into her driveway. He had apparently come straight from his house, and hadn't bothered to don his leathers or helmet, instead wearing his ever-characteristic red hockey jersey and baggy cargoes. Instantly she leaped off her bed, flew down the stairs and threw open the front door to a very much surprised and panicky Ron Stoppable.

"KP!" he breathed as he leaned his hand against the wall. "I got here as fast as I could. What's wrong?" He glanced down and couldn't keep his eyes from widening as he realized that Kim had nothing more than a pair of cotton white panties on. Granted, he had seen her naked before, even shared some steamy make-out sessions with her in the same state himself, but he never expected her to answer her door in the buff. "Let's get you inside, Kim!" he muttered embarrassedly and ushered her inside hastily.

"Mmpfh!" Kim replied as she pointed frantically at her own.

"Let me take a look?" Ron asked worriedly as he slowly pried Kim's hand away. The red-head struggled a bit, but as Ron's reassuring eyes looked into hers, she decided to put her faith in him and let him see for himself. He looked confusedly at Kim after he pried away her hand. "I don't see anything wrong. Well, other than you answering the door naked..."

Kim started to open her mouth, expecting Shego's voice to come out of it. It took her a moment to realize how stupid she must have looked with her mouth open and expecting something. "I..." she stammered before asking lamely. "I... I... Do I sound like Shego?"

"What?" Ron furrowed his brow. He quickly placed a hand over Kim's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah!" Kim swatted away his hand in frustration. "No! Gah, I dunno, it's just... That just now, in the bathroom, Shego was talking to me..."

"Wait a minute... Shego?" Ron's eyebrows shot towards his hairline, his tone beyond confused.

"Yeah, she called me Princess and started talking to me..."

"What did she say?"

"She was being her usual snarky self and... Ron, are you just humoring me?" Kim glared at her boyfriend who shuffled on the spot. "Because I swear it's all true! She was there, talking to me!"

"Ah... Kim, I really like to believe you, but Shego's dead. So how could she speak to you?" Ron pointed out.

"She was using my own voice!" Kim cried out. "It was like she was in me or something!"

"Uh huh..." Ron stepped away from the door, locking it behind him before he placed an arm around Kim's shoulders, making sure to look her in the eye instead of the enticing sight a bit lower. "Look, Kim, maybe you were just imagining things. It might just be in your..."

"Don't tell me it's all just in my head!" Kim snapped at him. "I know what's in my head, and I definitely heard Shego speak to me."

"Alright then. If she's inside you right now, then why isn't she saying anything?" Ron asked cautiously.

"I don't know?" Kim shrugged, looking away from him. "She could be messing with our heads right now like how she always used to... And maybe she's messing with my head so that she drives me crazy! It could be her plot to ruin my life, after all I killed her!"

"Kim... Kim, look at me," Ron coaxed her gently as he led her towards the living room couch. "We've been through this a million times. You never killed Shego. It was all an accident and no one could have done anything about it... Hell, _she_ saved your life, and it was _her_ choice... Maybe it's just like Tara's mom said, that this whole thing might be because of your guilty feelings..."

"But I heard her clear as day!" Kim cried out as the two teens both sat down, her eyes starting to get watery. "I heard her... She was there, mocking me..."

"Kim, don't worry," Ron gently pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair and bare back as he began to rock her gently in his arms. She automatically rested her head against his shoulder, burying her face into his neck. "I'm here now, and everything is going to be alright. So shh now and close your eyes."

"Hoo boy," Shego suddenly piped up mischievously in Kim's voice. "I'm half naked and things aren't getting hot and heavy yet? What does a girl have to do to get some action around here?"

"What?" Ron suddenly froze in shock as he jumped away from Kim. "What did you just say?"

"Huh?" Kim looked at her boyfriend in surprise. "I didn't say anything."

"You said…" Ron blushed a deep crimson as he stared at Kim. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Kim's eyes opened wide as she realized what was going on. "See, Ron? That wasn't me! That was Shego! I didn't say that! It must have been her putting words in my mouth!" her tone of voice wavered as desperate tears threatened to fall from her eyes, "I swear it was Shego!"

"Uhh... Kim..." Ron began uncertainly. "Maybe I should call your parents..."

"No!" Kim's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't you believe me? It's Shego, I tell you! C'mon Shego! Tell Ron I'm not crazy! And that you're really in there!"

"Ron, I'm not crazy, Shego's really in here," Shego obediently recited, trying to hide the mirth in her voice, "And I _am_ half naked,

"See? See, Ron? What did I tell you?" Kim cried out triumphantly. "That was Shego!"

"Ahh... Kim..." Ron shook his head slowly as he looked at his frantic girlfriend. "You know, think about this from my point of view. I'm just sitting here watching you talk to yourself..." He blushed again and slipped off his jersey, handing it to her, "And I'm really having trouble with this conversation, KP..."

"Gah!" Kim growled as she pulled back from Ron, quickly slipping into the jersey before smacking her fist in frustration on the couch. "It's Shego I tell you!"

"Kim, maybe you should just get some sleep," Ron replied nervously. "I'll stay the night with you and this will all go away in the morning."

"But what if she doesn't go away?" Kim cried out. "Maybe her ghost is haunting me and..."

"We'll figure something out in the morn-..." Ron began, but Kim's voice interrupted him again.

"Oh just shut the hell up, Buffoon," Shego finally roared out using Kim's voice, causing the blond teenager to look wide-eyed at his girlfriend. "Look, this was all pretty hilarious at first but it's getting a little old now. And for your information, there's nothing wrong with Princess here, except that I'm stuck in her head..."

"Wha-...?" Ron gaped like a goldfish.

"Listen, Kimmie's right, I tried to speak to her just now but she freaked out and called you, okay?" Shego explained. "But I think it's time that Kimmie here needs to know there's more than one person in her head right now."

"Um..." Ron was having a hard time processing what he was witnessing. Kim's voice, while still Kim's, sounded huskier, and had a subtle burry quality to it that it normally didn't have. Her body language changed slightly, seeming more aggressive, and she flipped her hair around in such a way that it seemed almost like it was...

"Hello? Buffoon? You there?" Shego waved Kim's hand in front of Ron's face. "You still with me here?"

"Shego?" Ron finally managed to squeak out.

"That's my name," Shego yawned. "Now let's get on with the agenda. First of all..."

"Wait, if you're Shego, where's Kim?" Ron asked.

"She's still here," Shego explained. "She's probably listening to us right now and I'm fairly certain she really wants to say something, but I'm in charge now."

"Who says you're in charge?" Kim belted out, her tone and body language changing drastically in an instant.

"Hey, give Kim back!" Ron shouted at the same time, making both teens stop and stare at each other in confused shock before Kim seemed to change again.

"Hold on to your panties, the both of you," Shego snapped in annoyance. "Geez, give a girl a chance to speak here, okay?"

"What do you want?" Ron demanded angrily. "Get out of Kim's head!"

"Wish I could, Buffoon," Shego snarkily replied. "Thing is, I don't know how I got in here in the first place. I just woke up one day and found myself in Kim's body."

"Is this one of Dr. D's messed up inventions?"

"Nah, don't think so," Shego shook her head. "I remember everything clearly up to the moment I died, and there was this bright flash of green light, and the next thing I know, I am having the front row seat to every single moment in Kim's life. Through her eyes, in high definition with twelve channel surround sound, of course."

"Wait, wait, wait... You're sitting in Kim's head?" Ron recoiled at the thought of it. "Ever since you died?"

"Yup, that's pretty much the gist of it..." Shego flashed her trademarked smirk.

"So you were watching us..." Ron gulped as he turned a shade of green. "Erm... You know..."

"You mean when you two were playing hide the pickle?" Shego gave him her barracuda smile.

"Uh huh..." Ron nodded his head slowly as a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Let me put it to you this way, Stoppable," Shego smirked evilly. "I wasn't just there watching. How do you think Kim went from stumbling idiot to actually knowing how to deep throat in a few days?"

"Oh god, you mean..." Ron whispered in wide eyed shock as the implication quickly sunk in.

"You bitch!" Kim's voice suddenly rang out from her throat in a bloodcurdling cry as she lashed out with her right hand and slapped herself across the cheek, ignoring the pain that blossomed across the quickly reddening hand-print. "You... You're the one that started pushing us past second base? I'm going to kill you!"

"Hey, hey, I felt that too, dammit!" Shego snapped, as she gripped her right hand with her left in an attempt to restrain Kim from slapping herself again. "You'd better thank me, okay? Without me you two wouldn't be enjoying the healthy sex lives that you have right now!"

"So this morning, it was you?" Kim snarled in anger.

"Uh huh," Shego nodded her head slowly, which was almost comical as it looked like Kim was talking to herself. "Well, at first... You kinda took over the last couple minutes without me having to 'let go'..."

"And yesterday too?" Kim grated.

"Yup." Shego replied glibly.

"So when has it ever _not_ been you?" Kim seethed angrily.

"Well, about half the time when you haven't been awake enough to handle things... So, maybe ahh… Once a week? But I mostly let things slide, _especially_ when Ron was feeling a little frisky and had the balls to lead," Shego mused out loud.

"Oh my god!" Ron yelled out loud, as reality finally caught up to his senses. "You mean that... That... The last few times... It's been you? That means I've been cheating on Kim? Oh my god! You made me cheat on Kim!"

"Hey, you aren't cheating on her if it's with her body," Shego replied lamely, blushing with indignation at the implication.

"But... But... No wonder she doesn't remember so much of it!" Ron howled out loud as he stabbed a finger accusingly at Shego/Kim.

"Yeah! This is all your fault, Shego!" Kim yelled out in frustration.

"Kids, calm down..." Shego tried to placate the two, but her pleas were drowned out by the angry shouting. "I just said I only gave little pushes, and maybe enjoyed a time or four… Dozen… with him all to myself when you were asleep, Princess... Nothing too serio-..." She was cut off as an enraged Kim spoke over her.

"You all but raped Ron!" Kim yelled accusingly. "You pretended to be me and raped my boyfriend! I'm so going to kill you!"

"Uh, uh, uhn..." Shego tsked. "You can't kill me without killing yourself..."

"Doesn't stop me from trying!" Kim shouted back recklessly.

"Wait, wait, Kim!" Ron grabbed her hands before the red-head could do anything that she might later regret. "Hang on a moment. Let's forget for a moment how violated I feel, and focus on the main issue here."

"What? That you played with Shego?" Kim snarled angrily at her boyfriend. "Besides, it's your fault too! Couldn't you tell that it was not me in the first place?"

"How was I supposed to know that Shego's inside of you?" Ron begged Kim to consider, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"I don't know! But I definitely wouldn't act like some slut!" Kim raged.

"Hey, I resent that remark," Shego interrupted.

"Wait, Kim... Shego... Please... Hold on for a moment," Ron pleaded as he gripped Kim's wrists tighter to get her attention. He took a deep breath as a pair of green eyes focused on him. Finally clearing his thoughts in the silence, Ron spoke up, "First off, Kim... You wanted all of... The making out and stuff... As much as we've been doing this, if not a little more, right?" Kim glared at him for a moment before nodding. She sighed and glancing down at where his hands held tightly to her wrists before looking away from her boyfriend. "Shego, you've managed to take control of Kim's body at certain moments, right?"

"Yup."

"So why haven't you revealed yourself to us sooner?" Ron challenged the villainess in Kim's mind.

"That's what I need to talk to you about!" Shego exclaimed. "Now if you'd give me a chance..."

"She probably had so much fun with you cheating on me that's why she never said anything until now," Kim spat out bitterly, the tears welling in her eyes. "I hate you..."

"Oh shut up, Princess, I'm just trying to tell you a few things here, and you don't have to act like a total bitch about this!" Shego snapped back. "I'm having problems here myself, okay? So don't think you're the only victim here."

"You raped my boyfriend," Kim repeated herself bitterly.

"Look, you're both still... Hell, no one raped anyone!" Shego raged, then took a few deep, calming breaths before continuing, "I'm still a virgin myself, like the both of you and I wanted my first time to be special too! Besides, it was kinda hard to resist... I mean, Ron was so cute and awkward, but so willing to please, which is so exceedingly rare..." Shego smiled sweetly at Ron. "And neither of you knew what to do beyond the basics, right?"

Much to her own chagrin, Kim found herself nodding along with Ron to Shego's declaration.

"Right. I'm no slut, despite what some people might think or say, but I do know my way around the human body... So I decided to help things along and take a couple small plunges you were hinting at, but he was either missing, or ignoring until you made the first move. So, Kimmie, you should be grateful now that Ron's taken you off that goddamn pedestal he had you on and stepped up as a proper, loving boyfriend!"

"But you didn't need to sleep... You didn't need to make out with him like one of the school sluts!" Kim indignantly half-shouted. Her breathing quickened rapidly as she started to hyperventilate. "I mean... I thought... He and I..."

"Can the bullshit, Kimmie," Shego drawled tiredly. "Technically, you both did exactly what you wanted to do to the other; I just gave you a goddamn push! Now can we get on with what _I've_ got to say?"

"Go on, Shego," Ron nudged her on, earning a brief scowl from whom he hoped was Kim.

"Yeah, thing is, I've sort of been in your mind ever since my death, but I've only been cognizant of it since about a week and a half after it happened... Pretty much three days before the funeral," Shego explained slowly. "At first I was mostly just floating around in your head… I see my life passing by me like a DVD on fast forward, skipping around randomly, I remember my past completely... It's like my life all happened before my eyes, over and over, randomly sometimes, linearly other times… It's kinda hard to describe it with words, I just felt this whole rush of emotions... And it was actually kinda nice..."

She looked down at her hands where Ron held them, now gently, not firmly like before. "It was like I had a completely different connection to all of that while I was first coming back, I guess... Almost like... Like a sustained orgasm or post workout pump, but without the body shaking and shuddering, just the 'Oh, God, this is _good'_ feeling that you get when you have one..." She smirked at the analogy, nodding her head in approval of the description before continuing. "And while I had nothing from the outside, the feeling of bliss stayed, and maybe got stronger... Then I start hearing and feeling things..."

"So is that when you started trying to come out?" Kim asked snidely, but otherwise kept her tongue in check thanks to a sharp look from Ron.

Shego sighed, shaking her head. "No... I mean, I kinda did want to... Instinctively, I mean... But I didn't actually _try_... Then I started smelling things, and feeling more and more tactile information, and then I started to see things! And that state of bliss became even stronger... It was like... Like I felt a connection to all the things I saw, but had no concept of time, or place, I just was, and... It's so hard to describe what that felt like..."

She paused and smiled at Ron, a blush spreading across her face as she sported a cheeky grin. "Everything was heightened in that state... The first orgasm I felt Kim have in that state? Whoa... I'm not even sure how to explain how it was… It was more intense than if a thousand stars were exploding around me… And that was just Kim doing the deed herself! Now when Ron got into the picture... Rawr!"

Ron blushed brightly and Kim growled in the back of her throat, but neither interrupted what Shego was saying as she continued her description, "And it was soon after that, I guess, when I started connecting words and thoughts to what I saw and felt... And I know it's weird... But I didn't feel so bad about being stuck in your body, at least until I started feeling restless. I mean, I had no control, and I need control, at least some, in my life... I bet that's what you feel like too when I'm in control of your body."

"Yes!" Kim snapped angrily, before pausing and thinking for a moment. "Well, yes and no? It feels weird having my body do things that I can't control, but I can still do things while you're controlling my body..."

"Yeah, that's a recent development... Anyway, after a while, I noticed that I could do things while Kim was distracted," Shego continued, ignoring Kim's huff of indignation. "Like maybe twitch her fingers while she wasn't looking. Soon I figured out how to take full control of Kim's body when she was asleep."

"What?" Kim suddenly seized up with panic. "What do you mean when I'm asleep?"

"Hey, calm down, Kimmie," Shego remarked lightly. "It's not like I did drugs or got a tattoo or anything. I just took your body out for a couple of midnight strolls. Nothing I wouldn't usually do anyway."

"So that's why I've been so tired all the time!" Kim exclaimed angrily. "Oh man, what else have you been doing with my body?"

"Nothing much," Shego replied meekly, realizing she may have already overstepped a boundary she shouldn't have, out of courtesy, if nothing else. "Except..."

"What? Could you repeat that?" Ron asked as he leaned in closer to listen to the thief's almost inaudible comment.

"You robbed the mall?" Kim almost shrieked out in anger. "In my body?"

"Hey, I was bored, okay?" Shego remarked defensively. "I just wanted to see if I could still do it! And look, I was careful. Really careful. Your face was never caught on camera, no evidence left whatsoever, so yeah..."

"So that string of robberies that has happened around Middleton?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Guilty as charged," Shego grinned, despite the chagrin she still felt.

"What happened to all the clothes and jewelry you stole?" Kim demanded.

"Most of it is hidden under your bed," Shego shrugged. "I didn't really have a hiding place, so I just stashed them there until I figured out a better place to hide them."

"What?" Kim almost had her eighth consecutive heart attack that night. "Shego! What if the police found the stolen items under my bed? I could go to jail for the rest of my life!"

"Nah, theft only gets you six months to two years," Shego remarked. "Besides, I could always bust us out of jail. If they even thought to look at your place, little Miss Hero..."

"That's not the point! You're ruining my life!" Kim yelled angrily. "First you steal my body, then you basically _raped_ my boyfriend, invaded my most private moments and now you're turning me into a wanted fugitive!"

"Hey, I was bored, okay?" Shego remarked sounding hurt. "It's not like there's much to do inside your head."

"That's no excuse!" Kim shrieked. "I'm going to call my mom and see whether I can get you out of my head the first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Ah, yes... About that," Shego replied breezily. "I already asked your mom."

"When?" Kim shot up in surprise.

"Soon after I figured out how to use your body. I just asked her whether it was possible to imprint the brainwaves of one person into the brain of another," Shego replied.

"And?" Kim asked, her tone more and more horrified, "Well, we already know it can be done thanks to your boss... Erm, ex-boss?" Kim shook her head and glared at nothingness for a moment, "Remember how Ron and I got our bodies switched?"

Shego shrugged. "Well, she said that if she hadn't known about Dr. D's invention switching you two around, she wouldn't believe it. The brain's not supposed to record information like that. But she did say it was possible, she just didn't know how... So I figured we're stuck together for a bit."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kim demanded. "We could have figured out a way to get you out of this and into a new body!"

"Hey now," Shego replied. "Look, I'm not sure about that okay? I know you're the good guy and all, but I am _not_ about to be experimented on again, okay? Who knows what kind of tests they'd subject us to, and maybe they'd just decide to erase me from your mind like some sort of cancer. Since I'm taking this as a second shot at life, I'm not going to take the risk, so I'd like to take the opportunity to do everything I ever wanted to do first."

"Like use my boyfriend as a living sex doll." Kim muttered spitefully.

"Hey, now, Princess," Shego grinned to herself, or rather to Kim. "It's kinda lonely being in your head with no one to talk to. And besides your boyfriend doesn't seem to have quite a big problem with it as you, right Ronnie?"

Kim coughed and spluttered at the pet name. "Ronnie?" She turned to glare at Ron. "Ron, you had better have a big problem, or else you'll have a bigger one coming your way."

"Right, Kim," Ron nodded his head vigorously as he paled a little. "It's just that I'm having a hard time here telling when Shego's speaking and when you're speaking, and it's like just watching you talk to yourself... And I wouldn't want to lie to yo-..."

"Well you better get used to it, kiddo," Shego interrupted with a laugh. "Because I'm not about to be shut back in Kim's head forever."

"This is so ferociously wrong," Kim declared out loud. "You're using my body for all these wrong things..."

"Wrong, but I don't hear you complaining about what you and Ronnie have been doing..." Shego winked at Ron and licked her lips as she said it.

"Shego! That's because he's my boyfriend!"

"Hey, look, I figured you owe me a little, okay?" Shego replied defensively. "You know, lend me your body for a bit. After all, I died while saving you, okay? It's the least you could have done for me."

"But... But..." Kim thumped the sofa seat with her fists in frustration. "That's just so wrong!"

"Look, I'm trying to do right by you now, okay?" Shego sighed tiredly. "I'm here to tell you that you're not crazy, and that there's actually another person living in your head right now."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Kim asked nastily.

"Well, because you certainly seemed convinced that you were going crazy, and the last thing I want you to do is to run this body of ours off to the mental institution, check yourself in and drug yourself up so badly that neither one of us can function," Shego remarked.

"Gee, thanks. I knew there was something in it for you." Kim said sarcastically. Even so, she didn't bother hiding the ghost of a smile at Shego's startlingly accurate assessment of their predicament.

"So what do we do now?" Ron chimed in, hoping the conversation could turn ugly again. "I mean, Shego's in Kim's body, and you two have to share, and I would like to damn well know who I am speaking to at the moment! How do I even tell who's who?"

"Well, for starters," Shego grinned like a tiger about to pounce on its prey. "I kiss like this..." Her arms shot out suddenly, grabbed the side of the blond's face and mashed her lips aggressively against his, slipping her tongue into his mouth and attempting to reach his tonsils. She pulled back and whispered huskily, "But I like softer touches than Kimmie..."

"Shego!" Kim shrieked as she recoiled away suddenly from her boyfriend. "Don't you ever touch my boyfriend ever again!"

"Aww... And since I'm in here, that means you're not touching him, either? Poor Ronnie..." Shego pouted, then grinned at a thoroughly dazed Ron who seemed oblivious to everything around him. "I have to admit though, he's quite the catch. He's really quite eager to please you and I'm dreadfully jealous that he loves you that much."

"Really?" Kim squeaked in surprise.

"Yeah... We have the sweetest pillow talk..." Shego grinned to herself. "I wouldn't mind a guy like him."

"Well, hands off, he's mine!" Kim scoffed defiantly as she swelled up with a sense of pride.

"Is there no way I can borrow him once in a while?" Shego asked teasingly. "After all, I'm already borrowing your body."

"No!"

"Oh, alright then," Shego smirked, before yawning and stretching with a cat-like manner. Kim suddenly found herself jealous of as Ron's eyes wandered up and down her own body, knowing that he was looking at someone else entirely. "I guess it's getting late, and I'm feeling rather tired too. So why don't the three of us get to bed and we'll talk about this in the morning?"

"You're right; this is all way too much to handle in one night. But you better not touch my Ron," Kim warned the other voice in her head. Glaring at Ron, she grabbed his arm and yanked him upstairs towards her bedroom. "C'mon Ron. We're going to bed."

"Right, Kim, or is it Shego?" Ron nodded his head.

"Ron!" Kim whirled around to stare daggers at the surprised blond as she towered over him on the stairs. In a deathly cold voice, she announced, "If you ever knowingly go to bed with Shego, even in my body, you will regret the day you were born. Are we clear?"

"Clear, KP," Ron gulped in terror, briefly averting his eyes from his wrathful girlfriend. As he stood there in stunned silence watching his girlfriend/girlfriend's arch nemesis bound up the stairs in the same body, he sighed to himself and wondered just how he was going to survive this new wrinkle in their relationship. It had already been weird enough that long-time childhood friends had surpassed all sorts of weirdness like switching bodies, embarrassment ninjas, and Moodulators, only to end up as boyfriend and girlfriend. This latest development had only left him all the more confused about their relationship.

One thing for sure, it definitely did not help matters when said person with red hair who looked like his girlfriend stopped at the top of the landing, before blowing a kiss and giving a suggestive wink. "Don't forget to turn the bathroom water off, Ronnie... I'm sure it's ice cold by now!" Kim... Or, no, that had to be Shego... Called down to him before sashaying into Kim's bedroom with a definite 'come hither' twitch of her barely clothed rear end.

* * *

Anyone who knew Dr. Anne Possible could easily see she had something on her mind the moment she stepped out of the Possible family's minivan. She moved with a purpose, stopping only briefly when she noticed the tire marks leading to Ron's BMW motorcycle, haphazardly parked where he'd pulled in the night before.

With a sigh, she walked to her door, wondering at what would have brought Ron over so recklessly. "Don't say anything to Ron about the skid marks, James, I'll do it..." she called out as she heard her husband, Dr. James Possible, let loose with a rare curse under his breath.

"Honey, I told you he'd start to hotrod around-..." James began, only to be interrupted by a sharp look from his wife.

"I'm sure he has a good explanation." She barely contained a long suffering chuckle when she heard Jim and Tim enthusing about Ron's apparently new cool status. "And it'd better be a good explanation!" she added quietly to herself.

Unlocking the front door, she noticed Kim's clothing, apparently from the night before, haphazardly stacked on top of the downstairs hamper and shook her head. "Ok, something was definitely wrong..." she concluded as she set her keys down and took the steps two at a time to the upstairs. "Kimmie?" she called out as she approached the door to Kim's room. "Ronald, you two awake in there?"

She eased the door open when she heard a stumbling snore that was unmistakably Ron's, but nothing else. She wasn't surprised to see her little girl held in an unmistakably comforting manner by a sleeping Ron. Kim had begged her parents to let him stay overnight several times since Shego had died, promising that nothing would happen between them.

What she had not expected was her daughter wearing Ron's red hockey jersey, which didn't help assuage her fears about what had happened the night before.

She knew her daughter and Ron had been intimate for a few weeks now. Despite her psychologist's suggestions not to use physical intimacy as a crutch, Kim and Ron had both assured her that they hadn't gone all the way. They also promised that they were intimate only when they were both sure it wasn't to sooth any of Kim's guilt. But seeing her daughter like this, and remembering her own late teen years, she couldn't help but fear the worst.

She leaned in and was surprised to see a smirk on Kim's face, who was apparently awake and enjoying her mother's discomfort. In a stern voice, she reproached her daughter, "Young lady, you have some explaining to do. I hope you remember our talk about your relationship with Ron, and that we had an agreement that you two would not do anything of that sort under my roof."

Kim's shoulders shook with a mirthful, if soft, chuckle at the comment from the elder possible. Anne narrowed her eyes and stood to her full height. "Young lady," she said smartly, "This is serio-..."

"Don't worry," the red-head interrupted with a giggle, as she sat up unabashed. She flipped her hair so it fell in a decidedly different manner than normal, her voice sounding more brash and arrogant than Anne could ever recall hearing. "Princess and the Buffoon did nothing against the rules you set up with them. In fact, they've never even gone that far, I'm pretty sure of it…" She stretched her arms languidly, yawning again and cocking her head at the elder Possible defiantly.

"Kimmie-cub..." Anne started angrily, only to be stopped by another acerbic laugh from her daughter.

"Not exactly, Mrs. Possible," Shego said airily, "But you are quite right, we _do_ indeed need to do some explaining... But preferably over coffee." She tried to stifle another yawn, only to give in and continue as an afterthought, "Strong, _black_ coffee!"

"Kim," Anne said firmly, glowering at her daughter, "Stop this behavior at once! You don't drink coffee! And what's with the voice change and-..."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Shego said in a very unapologetic manner, her smirk turning decidedly malevolent. "Where are my _manners_? Kimmie's asleep, Dr. Possible..." Kim stretched her hand out as if to a complete stranger. Anne stared at her daughter with a look that mingled worry and impending parental wrath, when the red-head's next statement caught her completely off guard. "_My_ name is Shego, nice to meet'cha!"

* * *

**Authors' notes**

Woot! Lulz chapter alert!

Ok, happy dancing aside, we've established that Shego is, indeed, in Kim's mind, and Kim doesn't seem to be going truly crazy. And while Shego may appear a bit OOC by the chapter's end, there are a few reasons for this...

First and foremost, the chapter was mostly written before a huge chunk of inspiration hit kgs... The inspiration came in the form of a radio interview with neurological researcher Jill Bolte Taylor about her memoir "My Stroke of Insight" on the National Public Radio show "Fresh Air". kgs has done some research (a couple different insomnia fueled, twelve hour sessions of Google searches and reading) on the brain to try to make Shego inhabiting Kim's mind at least passably believable. The process he came up with for Shego's integration into Kim's mind meshed so well with Dr. Taylor's experience that it made for a believable, fundamental change in Shego's outlook on life.

Now, as to Ron and Kim in this chapter, I think their interaction with each other and Shego shows their attachment, and Ron's ability to disarm and ground Kim, even at her worst. Ron's fear that something had happened to Kim, his panic in riding over so quickly says a lot about his love for Kim. And Kim turning to Ron first, despite the obvious that her mom could probably help her more, speaks of her trust in Ron.


End file.
